Man Made Problems
by AliasCWN
Summary: Problems plague a recon mission.


**Man Made Problems**

By:AliasCWN

The jeep sputtered and bucked before coming to a stop. Moffitt looked to his driver for an explanation.

"Don't know Doc." The lanky private shrugged and answered the silent question. "Could be a clogged fuel line, maybe something with the spark plugs or the distributer; I won't know for sure until I get under the hood."

"All right Tully, I'll stand watch while you get it fixed."

Tully nodded as Moffitt reached for a machine gun. "What about Troy?"

"I'll give him a call if we're going to be late." Moffitt called over his shoulder. "If you can fix it in a hurry we could possibly still make it on time."

Tully nodded again, his mind already going over all the things that could be causing the problem. He couldn't be sure he even had the parts to fix it until he figured out what was wrong. Climbing out of the seat, he lifted the hood.

He checked the fuel line first. After removing part of the line he lifted it to his mouth and blew through it. A fine mist of gasoline sprayed out the other end. Satisfied that it wasn't clogged, he reattached the line. He checked it for leaks, thinking that maybe he was getting air in the line. Nothing; it looked just fine to his experienced eyes. With the short piece of line replaced he dropped to the ground and slid under the jeep to make sure the line underneath was not compromised. There were a few small kinks where rocks had dented it but it looked like it was in good working order. Wiggling out from under the vehicle he brushed sand off of his clothes as he considered what else could cause the problem.

It hadn't sounded like a spark plug problem but it was still a possibility, so he decided to check them next. Digging through his tool box he found his gauge to check the gaps in the plugs. He pulled them out one by one, cleaned them, checked the gaps, and inspected the wires. Everything looked fine.

"Anything Tully?"

The call from Moffitt distracted him and he dropped the last spark plug as he was reinserting it. "Not yet Doc." He called as he cleaned the spark plug again in preparation for replacing it. With the last spark plug in place he returned the gauge to the tool box so it wouldn't be lost or misplaced. A quick glimpse at his watch told him that even if he found the problem right now they still wouldn't be able to meet the others on time.

"Tully!"

"I haven't found it yet Doc!" He called back.

"It will have to wait." Moffitt called back. "We have company coming."

"That scout column we've been looking for?"

"No, just a patrol," Moffitt answered, "but they're headed this way."

Tully dropped the hood and reached for a weapon. He started to head toward Moffitt but he paused as he noticed the sergeant's tracks. Turning back to the jeep, he pulled a tarp out of the rear and began dragging it to cover both the sergeant's tracks and his own.

The two of them dug a hole in the sand big enough for both of them and covered it with the tarp. They scooped sand over the top to disguise it. Crawling inside they did their best to pull more sand around the edges. They couldn't cover the entire thing but it was the same color as the sand and blended in well. Lying side by side, they waited to see if they would be discovered.

The rattle of the German motors drew nearer. Tully looked toward the jeep and wondered if they had left anything there that might give away their presence.

"Here they come Tully."

Tully turned his attention to the approaching patrol cars as they cautiously entered the wadi following the jeep tracks. He could see the soldiers tense when they spotted the abandoned vehicle. Both cars slowed as their occupants scanned their surroundings. Tully froze as they looked directly toward him.

The cars stopped well clear of the jeep and two soldiers jumped out. Moving nervously, they approached the jeep. Tully was glad he had thought to erase their tracks. The German soldiers walked slowly around the jeep taking in every detail. Tully had closed the hood but he hadn't taken the time to secure it. One of the Germans noticed the loose strap and called it to the attention of the others.

The apparent leader of the patrol waved at the two men to return to their cars. Once they were back in their cars he ordered the drivers to continue the patrol.

Tully and Moffitt remained where they were until they were sure that it wasn't a trick. Moffitt wanted to be sure that they were long gone.

"What did they say Doc?"

Moffitt smiled. "They realized that the jeep was disabled. It was very fortuitous for us that you did not take the time to secure the hood. They think that we abandoned it and all left in the other jeep. The lieutenant didn't blow it up because he wants to send someone back to retrieve it and take it to their base."

"Not my baby." Tully snorted. "Anyway, they looked nervous. What was their problem?"

"They were worried that we might not have gotten far and were still in the area."

Tully laughed.

"Have you found the problem yet?"

"Not yet."

"Perhaps it would be best to get on with it then before they decide to come back and strip the jeep."

Tully nodded. "I think I may know what it is. I checked all the easy fixes first. If it's the distributer cap I won't be able to fix it unless I have a spare."

Moffitt grimaced. "Then I guess I should radio Troy and let him know the situation."

"Let me check the cap first; if it's cracked I'll need a new one, but I may have a spare in the back. If it's just loose I can tighten it down and be ready to go right away."

This time Moffitt nodded. "I'll keep watch but we should radio Troy anyway, we're going to be late."

Pulling the tarp up with them as they rose, they folded it for future use. Tully carried it back to the jeep as he went for another look at the engine.

There was a hairline crack in the cap, making it necessary to replace it with a new one. Tully sorted through his box of spare parts until he found his spare cap. It was wrapped in a cloth to protect it from damage so he carefully exposed it. A close examination found it in perfect condition. With a sigh of relief he replaced the old one with the new one. He hit the starter and waited for the fuel pump to fill the lines that he had drained of gasoline. The engine sputtered once until it caught and evened out. The soft purr as it started was music to his ears.

Moffitt turned at the sound of the running engine and smiled.

Tully dropped the hood and made sure that he secured it this time.

"Keep an eye out while I contact Troy; that patrol may still be in the area and they may decide to come back."

Tully took the watch while Moffitt fiddled with the radio.

"Blackbird one to blackbird two. Come in two." Only static answered the call. "Blackbird two, come in blackbird two. Blackbird two, this is blackbird one, come in."

Moffitt looked toward Tully to see the private watching him. His repeated calls continued to go unanswered. He switched channels and tried again. There was no answer on that channel either.

"Maybe they ran into that scout column we were hunting." Tully's soft drawl did nothing to hide his concern.

"I'll try again." Moffitt responded. "Blackbird one to blackbird two, come in two." The static continued to fill the air. "Come in two."

"They aren't going to answer Doc. Something must have happened."

"Maybe we're out of range." The sergeant suggested hopefully.

"Maybe. Maybe we should go find out."

Moffitt nodded wordlessly and turned off the radio. Tully took his seat and waited for Moffitt to join him.

"Just remember Tully, that patrol may still be out there."

"I haven't forgotten."

"Then let's go find the others, shall we?"

Tully answered by hitting the gas. The jeep responded smoothly, the problem fixed. He kept an eye out for the patrol but their paths didn't cross again.

Moffitt checked his map and his compass often to keep them on track to find the location where the others were supposed to be waiting. They were now over an hour late for their meeting and they couldn't reach the others on the radio. They knew that Troy and Hitch would be worried about them if they had time to worry. If they had trouble of their own they might not have time to worry about anything else.

The scout column that they had been sent out to locate was still out there somewhere. Moffitt hoped that Troy and Hitch hadn't tangled with it on their own.

"Tully stop, I want to try the radio again."

The jeep stopped and Tully watched the desert while Moffitt turned to the radio. "Blackbird one to blackbird two, come in two. Come in blackbird two."

"They aren't going to answer." Tully stated after several more failed attempts to reach the others.

Moffitt adjusted the dial on the radio and tried one more time. Static crackled from the radio but no voice answered his increasingly urgent calls. "They must have run into that scout column."

"Maybe." Tully answered, rolling his matchstick to the other side of his mouth.

"What else could it be?"

Tully shrugged. "They knew that column was out there. They were looking for it. Sarge knows better than to take on a whole column on his own if it's not necessary."

"Then where are they?"

Tully looked at Moffitt when he detected the unusual display of emotion. "Is something wrong Doc?"

"Troy isn't answering his radio, of course something is wrong! Something must have happened!"

Tully smiled as Moffitt repeated his earlier concern. Despite his own worry Tully decided to lighten the mood by playing along. "Then maybe we'd better go help them take that column."

The sergeant caught on to what he was doing. "Maybe we should." He responded with a slight smile.

When they reached the meeting point they both sighed in relief as they caught sight of the second jeep apparently undamaged. Hitch was working on something in the back while Troy stood guard. Both men appeared to be fine too.

"Moffitt, where have you been?" Troy ran toward them as they pulled up next to the other jeep. His concern was plain on his face.

"Our jeep broke down." Moffitt answered with a smile. "Tully had to fix it before we could continue."

"Did you see any sign of the scout column?"

"No, we did see a patrol but no sign of the column."

"We didn't find it either." Troy admitted.

"What happened to you Troy? Tully and I have been trying to reach you by radio."

Troy looked disgusted. "The radio isn't working. We tried to call you and realized that it was on the fritz. Hitch is working on it now."

Moffitt nodded as if he had suspected it all along.

"You weren't worried about us were you?"

"Us? No." Moffitt lied.

"Right." Troy grinned.

"Well no more than you were worried about us." The Brit replied defensively.

Troy thought about denying it but the mischievous twinkle in the other sergeant's eyes stopped him. He snorted instead. "So where is that scout column?" The question was a way of changing the subject.

"Maybe they got a late start. Perhaps we are looking too far north. I suggest we head south and see if we can pick up their trail."

"Makes sense." Troy agreed. "Only I can't see Dietrich leaving late. You know the krauts, they're sticklers for routine. You could almost set your watch by them."

"Even the esteemed Captain Dietrich is not perfect." Moffitt suggested.

"All right, south it is, once Hitch gets done working on the radio."

A half hour later Hitch announced the radio "as good as it's going to get without new parts".

"Is it working?" Troy demanded.

"Yeah it works," the blond answered, "but you might have to wiggle the wires to get good reception. I couldn't tighten them any more without breaking the connectors. I'll get it fixed right once we get back to the base and get some new connectors."

"All right, good work. Now let's go find that column before anything else breaks."

Several hours later Troy called for a halt to climb a hill and look around. With Moffitt by his side he took field glasses and ran to the top of the highest hill. As they reached the top both sergeants dropped flat on the sand.

"Do you think they saw us?"

"I doubt it." Moffitt replied. "No one shot at us."

Troy grinned at the answer. "Now why would Dietrich stop out here? There's nothing out here."

"Would you like to go down and ask him?" Moffitt asked tongue-in-cheek.

"I don't think I have to." Troy answered with a grin. He had scanned the length of the column with the field glasses. Now he had an amused smile on his face.

"What is it?"

"Dietrich's got engine problems." Troy laughed. "It looks like we're not the only ones with mechanical problems."

"If this is as far as they've gotten, they must have been here for quite a while." The Brit decided. "Their mechanics must not be very good. Perhaps we should send Hitch and Tully down to give them a hand." Moffitt suggested with a teasing smile.

Troy laughed. "Not a chance. Let him fix his own problems. We had orders to locate them, we've done that, let's go home."

" **Men have become the tool of their tools."—Henry David Thoreau**


End file.
